It’s the typical weekday hustle routine.. wake up, get dressed for work, get the kids dressed for school, prepare their breakfast, prepare their lunch, prepare your lunch (if you are on target to save big), get in the car, and hit the road. Once the kids are dropped off at school, you realize something is missing – your morning coffee! So you swing by your local coffee retailer to pick up a quick cup of java, which at an average cost of $1.85 for a regular medium sized no frills brew, seems reasonable. WRONG!

Let’s say you buy a premium bag of coffee for $8.00 a pound, which would yield approximately 32 eight ounce cups of coffee or 256 ounces of coffee for the bag (depending on the strength of your coffee). That’s $.031 cents per ounce of coffee! Starbucks charges $1.85 plus tax for a “tall” 12 ounce cup of coffee – which would equal 1 ½ scoups if you made it on your own. At this rate, you’re looking at $.154 per ounce – almost FIVE times the cost! This is just for regular coffee and not the “fancy” stuff!! In case you prefer your coffee to be extra strong, you’re still saving a ton of money by brewing it on your own.

Rule #1 is to get your own coffee machine for your home. There are many discount retail stores that offer coffee makers at a discount. Check out Big Lots!, Kmart, Target, Costco and other discount stores to score a great machine at a great price! Coffee machines have a wide range in price depending on the extra features you require. Also, be sure to check out our sponsored ad on our website for Gevalia Coffee, which includes a coffee maker! These days, most coffee machines have an auto-programming system where you can prepare your coffee in the evening and set the timer for when you want it ready for you in the morning. Typically these machines sell at approximately $25.00. With this technique, you just set the timer, let the coffee brew while you’re getting ready, and by the time you’re ready to go, so is your coffee! Plus, it saves you an extra stop on the road!

Worried about bland flavor for your coffee? We have you covered! Virtually all local supermarkets carry a variety of coffee flavors from brands such as International Delight, Coffee Mate, Bailey’s and store brands. The average price for a 32 ounce container is $3.00, but if you clip a coupon from the insert of your local newspaper, you can probably get it for $.50 to $1.00 less, and it should last you quite a while. The flavors offered are vast.. including Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Regular, Peppermint Mocha, Irish Crème, Amaretto, White Chocolate Mocha, Almond Joy, York Peppermint Patty and many more.

Just think, if you purchase a “fancy” coffee creation at your local coffee store, you could pay upwards of $4.00 for a 12 ounce cup!! This equates to almost $.34 cents per ounce – over 1000% more than if you were to prepare your coffee on your own at home. If you visit these establishments on a daily basis, you’re looking at $20 a week. If your spouse has the same coffee or tea habit as you, you’re spending $40 a week on merely 1 hot beverage for the two of you on a daily basis. Do you realize how much coffee and/or tea you can buy for this price! It would certainly amaze you!

On an occasional basis, it may not seem so drastic, but if you purchased coffee every day – or even every other day from a coffee retailer, you’re spending way more than you need to! If you implement our money saving technique, you could save yourself thousands of dollars per year! Wouldn’t it be great to have that extra money to use for birthday gifts, holiday gifts, or “just because” gifts, special occasion dinners, activities, travel and more?

While we profiled coffee for $8.00 a pound above, there are many other outlets which provide coffee for much less. For example, Trader Joe’s offers a 14 ounce canister of their coffee for only $4.99 which equates to approximately $.021 per ounce!

Regardless of whether you’re feeding a family of 4+ or shop for yourself – Buy in Bulk! Many times stores have tremendous discounts on meat and poultry as lures to get the customer into the store for the last minute “sucker buy”. If you stick to your list and only buy what you went to the store for, you’ll come out a guaranteed winner. Buy a couple of trays of the super sale chicken breasts for $.99 a pound or fresh Atlantic Salmon for $4.99 a pound and get yourself a Foodsaver. Here you can individually freeze portions or store enough appropriate for your family without the freezer burn. Buy that huge pork or beef roast without fear of not using it. My favorite cooking device is the Crock pot – you can put the whole roast in, cook it and freeze the unused portions to make a completely different meal at a later date.

Take advantage of those pizza deals you see advertised on television. Recently I saw an ad for $9.99 large pizzas with 2 toppings. This is perfect for singles or families! If you’re single, don’t be afraid to take advantage of the offer. Never be intimidated by a bargain. Simply freeze what you don’t eat and save it for a later date. I went to a local pizza parlor the other day and looked over their menu. They offered an 8? individual pizza for $6.00. I asked the gentleman behind the counter if they had any specials, and he informed me of a large 12? pizza for $5.99. Naturally I couldn’t eat a large pizza by myself, but I also couldn’t refuse the bargain. I purchased the 12? pizza for $5.99, ate a couple of slices in the store and took the rest home for dinner the next day, lunch the following day and froze the rest. Fresh pizza for that price is hard to come by, but definitely a take advantage opportunity!

Many people seem to think that dollar stores sell cheap stuff… well they do – but that’s just the price – not the value! Like many other discount stores, dollar stores such as 99 Cent Store, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and others have major closeouts on major brands! The main purpose of dollar stores is to buy out surplus inventories from major retail stores at a discount – they buy what the big stores don’t sell enough of & the surplus needs to be eliminated before the expiration date or seasonal change. This is where the dollar stores come in & where you can stock up big time. While dollar stores carry many staples of regular products that everyone uses -they also get blowouts from major supermarket chains that want to get rid of product quick, and thereby minimizing their losses. Dollar stores are not as most people consider “cheap places to shop”… they are in fact “smart places to shop”.

Everything For $1 – But Be Cautious!

The majority of items sold at dollar stores are a great bargain… everything is only $1 or less! In time, you will realize what’s a great deal for only $1 – but you have to be cautious – because some items sold at $1 are not necessarily a great deal. For example, canned foods for $1.00 may seem like a great deal, but if you find a coupon in your Sunday newspaper insert for canned goods, chances are you’ll get a better deal when the item comes on sale at your local supermarket – especially if they double coupons or bring the value up to $1.00. For example, recently the 99 Cent Only Store carried Crystal Geyser mineral water for $.99 each… but most supermarkets at that time carried the same item for only $.59 – $.79 each on a special promotion. Add the coupon which was offered in the Sunday newspaper, and you end up paying far less than if you purchased the item at the 99 Cent Only Store.

Here’s What We Love About Dollar Stores

Standard items (most of which are name brand) which we believe are great values at the dollar stores include cleaning supplies, fruits and vegetables, cookie dough, bread loaves, a dozen eggs, seasonal decorations, greeting cards, food storage containers and baggies, paper products, coloring books, toys, toiletries and clothes, among others. Always be on the lookout for the special acquisitions at the dollar stores – many times you’ll find name brand cosmetics, coffee, teas, pastas, etc.

Birthday Party Supplies and Gift Bags

Your local dollar store carries tons of supplies for birthday parties – you can get virtually all of your decorations, disposable dining supplies, party favors and more from them! Some schools have gift exchanges on holidays where you bring items for the other classmates in exchange for what they give you. At your dollar store, you can purchase the following example items for only $1!

1 Package of 12 decorative gift bags

1 Pack of 12 pencils

1 Pack of 12 erasers

1 Pack of 6 toys

1 Bag of candies (12 – 24+ count)

1 6-pack of Socks

Various hair clips (for girls) and much, much more!

Decorations

We love the idea of decorating your house with items which cost only $1 or less – especially if you have little kids who tend to play with and ultimately destroy some of the decorations. At only $1 you’re far less likely to be upset over a broken trinket! While it’s always fun to buy something new each year to add to your decor, keep in mind that once the holiday has passed, the stores need to get rid of the seasonal products, and therefore blow them out at 1/2 off or more! I typically head over to my nearby dollar stores just after each holiday and purchase a few items which I excitedly uncover from storage the following year. For those that love to impress guests with their holiday table featuring new décor and trinkets, you dollar store is the perfect place for you!

Curious on how to stretch your money for food deals? We have some great suggestions and tips for you!!

Grate a block of cheese instead of buying shredded.

Buy cans of frozen juice instead of juice in cartons.

Get a group to go in on a warehouse membership and split the fee!

Buy only as much as you can use before spoilage occurs.

Select lower-priced cuts of beef that can be tenderized, marinated or cooked in a crock pot.

Pack a lunch with reusable containers.

Look for coupons or deals in your Sunday paper and from individual stores. Use coupons on items you normally purchase.

Check your favorites manufacturers, online and on Facebook for coupons and savings.

Buy generic drugs or 90 day supplies through the mail

And most important, follow FrugallyDelish for super savings, discounts, freebies & more! Check back with us often – especially before you dine out or order anything online, so you can get a coupon & save!

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